Study: More nurses, less death

Ten to 13% fewer surgical patients in New Jersey and Pennsylvania would die if hospitals in those states had as many nurses as California law requires, according to a University of Pennsylvania study. The study of 1.1 million patients in 2005 and 2006 found that the nurse-to-patient ratios mandated in California could have saved the lives of 468 patients in New Jersey and Pennsylvania over a two-year period. Linda Aiken, who led the study and directs the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research at Penn, said improved nurse staffing likely could save "many thousands a year" nationally.

Facilities across the country, whether they are ANCC Magnet Recognition Program® designated hospitals, designation hopefuls, or just seeking to improve their quality of care, struggle daily with the challenges...

A crackdown by U.S. drug agents on the dispensing of prescription drugs in nursing homes is coming under industry fire and congressional scrutiny, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Drug Enforcement...

Nurse anesthetists across the country are vehemently defending their ability to administer anesthesia to Medicare patients without physician supervision, saying there's never been a study showing the practice...